Refrigerator-car.



Nu. 533,320. Y Patented sept. 26.1899;

E. T. a: e. c. EARL & .1. H. MILLER. nsrms'ianon c An. (Applc-:atiun Med Hay 31, 1898.) (llo Nudel.) '2 Sheets-Shogi l.

l l l 0 Nujssazo. Patented-sept. 2s, |899. E. T..-&. G. C. EARL J. H.MILLER.

BEFRIGEBATUR CAR.

(Appuwion md any 31,1898.) (Ilo Model.) Zhnen-Sheet 2,

liv

lll I y (i4/ii f UNITED STATES'.

EDWIN T. EARL AND GUY c.A EARL, OF'OAKLAND, AND

PATENT @.O'rricn.

JOHN H. MILLER,

OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA; SAID GUY C. EARL AND SAID MILLERASSIGNORS-'TO SAID EDWIN T. EARL. f

REFRleER'AToR-CAR."

sPncrFIcAfr'mN forming eert er Letters Patent No. esaeedeatee september26,1899.

Appuanonnefinaj 31,1893. serrano. 582,202. on man.)

- county of Alameda,

Be it known that we, DW'IN T. EARL and GUY C. EARL, residing` atOakland, in the 4 Y and JOHN H. MILLER,

residing at lSan Francisco, inthe county of San Francisco,`State ofCalifornia, citizens of the United States, have invented certain' newand useful Ir'nproveiuents in Refrigerator- Cars, of which the followingis aspecification.

Our invention relates to refrigeratorfcars', and more particularly tothe ice-tanks of such cars and to means for diminishing and in'-creasing` the capacity ofthe tanks in order to employ a ,smaller orlarger quantityof ice. In 'Letters Patent granted to Edwin T. Earl June1`, 1897, andnumbered 583,794, was described an ie-tankor such ya, carprovided with an intermediate floor or false bottom adapted to llieacross the tank as a door' or to be turned against the Wall of the tankin order to open the latter'to its full capacit-5i y The conditionsunder which refrigeratorcars are used, particularly in transportingperishable substances over long rentestand through varying climates andtemperatures, make it desirableto use less ice at some partsl oftheroute and at certain seasons than at others. Thus" inl 4starting a .carloaded with fruit from a Warm climate Where ice. is expensive it issometimes desirable toI use a small quantity ci i'cefin they upper partof the tank, provided that a comparatively short run will bring the cartoa point Where ice is cheap and the" tanks can be illed. These'conditions arepfound in transporting fruit from the Pacific coast toEastern points, the run from the coast to the high Sierras, forinstance, being made with a small quantity of ice upon the intermediatedoor or false` bottom and the tanks being lled to their `somewhat deeperthan usual.

to provide means for removing the false bottom entirely 'fromv the mainice-tank' instead of leaving it Within'such tank after changing itsposition, auch,further,V to take advantage of certain features in theconstruction of the iceftanks tof provide receptacles for the falsebottoms communicating with the tanks to receive these bottoms whenremoved from the tanks.

One form of our. invention isparticularly adapted to refrigerator-carsprovided with end tanks, the upper part of which are eX- tended towardthe middle .of the car, formingwhat is known as the 'ov'e'rhead part ofthe tank, beneath which is storage-space for the cargo, which is vloadedup against the main wall of the tank. The supplemenfloor or false bottomcan be vplacedy about Y on a level with the bottom tank, and theoverhead tank of theoverhead can be made kIt can thus be used as areceptacleV for the 'slidingfalse bot tom when .it'is desired to open'the tank to full capacity. At other times the false bottom will receiveand hold the relatively small quantity of ice required. A. A

Another form of our invention provides for a pocket or'receptaclefor'the false'bottom in a` Wall of the ice-tank, in lwhich f it can beplaced andv 'from which it can. be withdrawn. We haveV illustrated ourinvention in the accompanyingI drawings, in which- Figurelfisalongitudinal section of lone end of a car, showing one ice-tank,the false bottom in the tank, land a receptacle provided for itwh'envithdr'awn. Figf 2 is a horizont-al section. showing the falsebottomin'ade in two `parts independently movable by a sliding motion,one 'of such parts being. withdrawn andthe other lying as a floor acrossthe tank. Fig.l 3 is a cross-sectionV trough the'ice-tank, lookingtoward the middle of thegarl Fig. 4 is a vertical section `slum/ingpocket arranged in a Wall ofthe tank. Fig. 5 isa horizontal section ofthe same. Fig. 6 is a detail section'of the iexible false bottoni shownin Fig. 5. f Fig. 7 shows a diEerent arrangement of mechanical meansbottom.

A represents a refrigerator-car; B, an ice;-

for moving the false f f tank at one end; C, an ice-hole in the rool'provided with a hatch or cover I), and E the ordinary bottom of thetank, through which the cold air escapes to enter the interior orstorage-space of the car.

F is an extension or overhead tank projecting from the main tank underthe car-roof and having a grating or screen frontf. This overhead tankis in Fig. l shown as somewhat deeper than ordinarilyy made. Beneath theoverhead tank'is cargo-space for loading boxes, crates, dsc., up againstthe front partition or wall of the main tank, and an opening F isprovided in the main tank just beneath the overhead extension, which isa direct escape for warm air into the ice-tank from the cargospacebeneath the overhead tank.

G is a supplementary flooror false bottom, which may be formed in one,two, or more sections. Itis constructed as agrating to pass the cooledair and water through and downward. We have shown it as composed oftwosections, which are convenient to handle and can be shifted withoutlevers or otherk mechanical means, although such means can beemployedand have been illustrated in the drawings. When in position as a floor,across the tank the bottom or its plurality ofsections is supported bycleats l l, secured to the front and rear walls of the tank, and weprefer to provide cleats 2 2 along the side walls of the tank tok guidethe bottom in its bodily movement.

In Figs. l and Sthe extension or overhead tank is increased somewhatbeyond its usual depth, so that its bottom 4 lies just below the falsebottom. When so constructed,the false bottom can be pushed bodily and bya sliding movement into the overhead tank, which forms a receptacle forit. When the bottom is formed in a plurality of sections, the sectionscan be separately pushed into the overhead tank and pulled therefrom.lVhen the bottom is shifted by hand, the ice can all be transferred toone section, then Vthe cleared section pushed into the extension-tank,then all the ice discharged into the main tank, and the remainder of thefalse bottom pushed into the extension, and this course can befol1owed,if desired,when means are provided for mechanically shiftingthe false bottom. IVe have illustrated in Fig. l certain means for thischaracter-viz, a chain I-I, secured to the false bottom or each of itssections and extending into the extension-tank around guide-pulleys 3and 3. The chain then passes to a point near one of the ice-holes, whereits end may be caught and held in any suitable way. By means of thischain the false bottom can be pulled into the extension-tank before orafter the ice has been shifted from it, the ice in the former casefalling into the main tank below.

We prefer to provide the overhead extension-tank with special means toreceive the false bottom in order that there may be no interference withits movements byice in that tank. For this purpose we have provided apocket. (Shown in Fig. l.) The pocketK in Fig. lgis formed by apartition I, which may be a grating in the overhead tank in connectionwith the bottom of the tank, the mouth of the pocket being aboutopposite the edge of the false bottom Gr. 1

In Figs. 4t and 5 we have illustrated a modiiication of our invention,which, however,

veach of its sections ilexible and in as many parts jointed together asmay be necessary. Ve have shown each section as composed of two parts Mand M jointed together on a rod 6, so that the joints can break upwardlyand Yallow the bottom to enter the hole in the wall of the tank and beturned downwardly into the pocket.

In case it should not be desired to have the extension or overhead tankas deep as shown in Fig. l, but tok provide it with a pocket for thefalse bottom, which would be above the level of such false bottom, itmay be found convenient to use a flexible false bottom in connectionwith the pocket in the overhead tank. The use of such a flexible falsebottom is therefore not necessarily conined to a construction in whichthe pocket is placed in the wall of the ice-tank.

In Fig. 7 we have shown another form of device for moving the falsebottom, which is designed to act automatically. In this case a chain I-Iis secured to the front edge of the false bottom or its sections, to thefree end of which is secured a weight O. This chain is guided by apulley 7 into the pocket ora guide in the wall of the tank, and thefalse bottom is held in position by some form of catch, such as 'thatshown at S. The releasing of the catch permits the weight to fall,drawing the false bottom vhorizontally into the extension-tank.

Whether the pocket be formed in connection with the overhead tank or ina Wall of the main tank, the false bottom can be entirely removed fromthe main tank and safely stowed where it is conveniently accessible.

IVe do not limit ourselves to the exact constructions described andshown, as within the limits of the following claims modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a refrigerator-car, the combination with the ice-tank having anice-hole, of a slid- ICO in g .false bottom for diminishing the capacityof the tank, a receptacle for receiving and stowing said false bottom torestore the ca-v pacity of the tank, and aconnection accessible throughthe ice-hole for mechanically Amoving said false bottom. y.

V2. In a refrigerator oar, the combination with the ice-tank having anice-hole, of a sliding false bottom fondiminishing the capacity,

of the tank, a receptacle for receiving and stowng said false bottom torestore the oapacity of the tank, a connection for mechanically movingsaid false bottom; said connection being secured at one end of the falsebottom, and having a free end accessible through the ice-hole forapplying power thereto.

In testimony where-of Lthe saidvE. T. EARLE, Y

v JOHN H. MILLER.

Witnesses: Y

L. W. SEELY,

M. J. Dm'rz.

